The Everlasting .22s

by
posted on August 14, 2012
wiley-clapp.jpg (2)

America’s first metallic cartridge was a .22 rimfire, and it was introduced more than 150 years ago. While that little .22 Short was first fired in Smith & Wesson’s tip-up revolver, it went on to broader use in many rifles. Because of its modest price, low noise and minimal recoil, those early.22 rimfire revolvers were very popular handguns. Some Civil War officers even carried them in pockets as defensive firearms. They must have been hugely optimistic, because a .22 doesn’t have a large enough bullet or velocity to be an ideal fighting load. This does not change the fact that the .22 rimfire handgun has long been a big part of a handgunner’s battery.

Along the way, there have been many other .22 cartridges, and most of them have been chambered for pistols or revolvers. One that hasn’t made its way into handguns is the .22 Winchester Auto, which is the initial and only round used in Winchester’s Model 1903 rifle. As a kid, I made a slick trade for one and painfully recall the anguish of having a neat little rifle for which there was no ammo. A very similar—but not interchangeable—cartridge is the .22 Remington Auto. Aside from a few oddities like the .22 Extra Long, most.22 rimfires are still in production. Both the .22 BB Cap and .22 CB Cap are efforts to reduce the range and power of the .22 for indoor practice and pest control. On the other side of things, there was an effort to get more power from the .22 with the .22 Winchester Rim Fire (.22 WRF). Initially made for the Winchester 1890 rifle, it was also used in some Colt revolvers. This was a step up the power scale from the .22 Long Rifle, and the WRF lasted until 1959 when the .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire burst on the scene. Earlier .22 WRF ammunition will work in a .22 WMR arm, but not vice versa. The .22 WMR is the king of rimfire cartridges in the power sense. The latest news in the .22 WMR story is the development of short barrel loads for snubby revolvers.

We got the .22 Short in 1857, the .22 Long in (about) 1871 and the .22 Long Rifle in 1887. These three cartridges, along with the .22 WMR, constitute the greatest majority of American rimfire shooting. To be even more specific, most is done with the .22 LR and the .22 WMR. There is a bewildering array of ammo on the market for these two rounds, and while the WMR is more powerful, America’s most popular cartridge remains that nifty little .22 Long Rifle.

Latest

Taurus Tx22 Compact Rifleman Review 1
Taurus Tx22 Compact Rifleman Review 1

Rifleman Review: Taurus TX22 Compact

A downsized version of Taurus USA's TX22 is available, giving folks a smaller, handier version of the full-size TX22 rimfire pistol that's become one of the company's most popular offerings.

New For 2025: Springfield Armory Saint Victor 9 mm Pistol

Recently, Springfield Armory added a large-format pistol variant of its Saint Victor 9 mm carbine, giving enthusiasts a compact PCC that feeds from Colt-pattern magazines.

The Rifleman Report: New Developments

Our official coverage of new products for the current year is set for next month, but we included two substantial new developments in this issue that have the potential to make significant ripples in the firearm business even before then.

Arkansas To Begin Mandatory Gun Safety Lessons In Schools

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed into law requiring public and open enrollment public charter schools to provide age-appropriate firearm safety instruction beginning during the 2025-2026 school year.

Adams Arms Set To Relaunch

Alexandria Pro-Fab, a contract machine shop based in Minnesota, announced that it has purchased the assets of Adams Arms, along with all of the company’s intellectual property, and it plans to relaunch the company in the second quarter of 2025.

I Have This Old Gun: Bayard Auto Pistol

The Herstal, Belgium, firm of Anciens Etablissements Pieper was apparently expecting big things when, in 1908, it named its new semi-automatic pocket pistol “Bayard.”

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.